Book-holder.



E. W. FARRIS.

BOOK HOLDER.

APPLIGATION FILED AUGA, 1910.

1,007,845. Patented 0611.311911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET Z.

@Imam/hoz COLUMBIA PMNIJGRAPH co.,wASHxNaTUN D C UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ELISI-IA W. FARLRIS, OF RIENZI, MISSISSIPPI.

BOOK-HOLDER.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELISHA W. FARMS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Rienzi, in the county of Alcorn, State of Mississippi, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Book-Holders; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to book-holders and has particular reference to a device of that kind adapted to hold a copy book or the like in open position while the material on a page of the book is being copied.

Another obj ect of the invention is the provision of a device which may be readily adjusted at any angle to suit the operator.

A further object is the provision of a device which may be clamped to the leaf of a table or a mantel.

With the above and other objects in view, as will more fully hereinafter appear, the present invention consists in certain novel details of construction and arrangement of parts, hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and more particularly pointed out in the claims; it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion, size, and minor details of the device may be made without departing from the spirit or sacrilicing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying .drawings forming part of this specification Figure 1 is a perspective view of the device showing the holder in one position. Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the holder in another position.

Similar numerals of reference designate similar parts in the views shown.

The support or bed frame is preferably formed of a single piece of wire or the like, the intermediate portion of which is designated by the numeral 5, and constitutes the rear end of the frame. The opposite terminals of the end 5 are bent downwardly and then upwardly whereby rear supporting legs 6 are formed which may be of any required length. The supporting legs 6 are substantially U-shaped in contour and the terminals of the legs are bent abruptly forwardly and extended in the horizontal plane of the end 5, forming side members 7 and 8. The

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 4, 1910.

Patented Oct. 31, 1911. serial No. 575,519.

side members 7 and 8 are terminally bent abruptly downwardly forming front legs 9 and 10 which aline with the rear legs, and are at their lower ends bent abruptly in the direction of the rear legs to form supporting feet l1 and 12. The extreme ends of these feet are looped back upon themselvesso that the feet are somewhat resilient in nature and also by their curvilinear outline prevent mutilation of the table or other support upon which the bed frame may be set. It will be noted that the vfeet eXtend in approximate parallelism with the side members 7 and 8 the object of this construction being to provide a space between these parts within which a narrow leaf of a writing desk or similar article of furniture may be inserted when desired.

The book holder is designated in general by the numeral 13 and includes in its construction a sliding member 14, the same being preferably formed of a single piece of wire or the like, the opposite ends of which are formed with downwardly opening loops which straddle the side members 7 and 8 of the frame. The intermediate portion of the sliding member is equipped with an internally threaded sleeve 15 and the intermediate portion of the end 5 is equipped with a smooth bore sleeve 16. The free end portions of the side members 7 and 8 are connected by a wire 17 which forms the front end of the bed frame, and the intermediate portion of this end 17 is equipped with a smooth bore sleeve 18. The sleeves 15, 16 and 18 are in alinement with each other. Threaded into the sleeve 15 is a feed worm 19, one end of which is journaled in the sleeve 16 on the rear end of the frame and the opposite end of which is journaled in the sleeve 18 on the front end of the frame. That end of the worm extending through the sleeve 18 on the front end of the frame terminates in a crank handle 20, by means of which the arm may be rotated. With this construction it is obvious that by rotating the cra-nk handle 2O the sliding member 14 will be moved longitudinally of the frame.

A transverse brace rod is designated by the numeral 21, this member being preferably formed of a single length of wire of approximately the same diameter as the sliding member and frame. This brace rod is raised above the side members 7 and 8 and is disposed rearwardly from the sliding member 14C being connected to the latter by y a pair ot spaced stays 22 and 23, these stays being 'formed of single lengths of wire the opposite terminals of which are wrapped around the brace rod 21 and sliding member 14e. The brace rod is held spaced above the sliding member by a pair of stays 2t and 25, these stays being formed of lengths otl wire bent into inverted V-shape and having their opposite terminals provided with eyes for the. loose reception ot the brace rod 2l and rear end ot the frame. TWith this construction it is obvious that the brace rod 2l will be supported above the plane of the bed iframe and when the sliding member moved by means of the worm, the brace rod 2l will be moved Vup iardly and rearwardly. Carried by the brace rod 2l and sliding member lelis a book holding frame consist-ing ot a pair of spaced side pieces 26 and 27 formed of single lengths of wire and provided at their intermediate portions with loops or eyes to receive the opposite ends of the brace rod 2l. The lower end portion oi the sides 2G and 27 are provided with eyes or loops for the reception of the opposite ends of the sliding member 14, and the said lower end portions terminate in outwardly and upwardly bent tines Q8 and 29. The tines 2S and 29 overhang and are arranged nearly in parallelism with the sides 26 and 27, thus forming a space for the reception of the book to be held. The tines '28 and 29 are designed to bear on the opposite pages of an opened book and when so positioned the leaves of the book will be held against movement. The extremities of the tines 28 and 29 are curved forwardly as shown at 80 and 3l, so that no sharp edges will be presented to the paper which might tend to tear or mutilate the same.

The upper ends of the sides 2G and 27 terminate in eyes or loops and 33 which receive the opposite terminals of an upper end piece 34, the terminals of this end piece being provided with eyes or loops which engage with the eyes or loops 32 and 33. rlhe lower end piece of the book holding Ytrame is designated by the numeral 35 and its opposite ends are provided with eyes or loops which engage with similar eyes or loops formed adjacent the lower ends of the eX- tensions 28 and 29.

The book holding trame is reinforced by means of a pair of braces designated by the numerals 3G and 36, which are formed of single lengths of wire having their upper end portions provided with eyes which engage the upper end piece 34- of the book holding frame. The Vupper ends of the braces 36 and 36 extend considerably above the upper end piece 34 of the book holding frame and terminate in eyes 37 which receive the cross bar 38, the latter being arranged to bear against the upper ortion of the book back and preventing the ook from toppling. The lower end portions of the braces 36 and 3G are bent forwardly and upwardly as shown at 3S) and 40 whereby tines are formed similar to the tines 28 and 29 above described and which are parallel and spaced from the latter and are designed to bear on the opposite pages of an open book similar to the tines 28 and 29. The lower ends of the tines 2S and 29 and 40 are provided with eyes for the recept-ion of the lower end piece of the book holding frame.

When the crank handle. 20 is turned as above described the book holding trame will be moved bodily 'from one end ot the bed trame to the other. It is evident that when the book holding trame is moved to that end of the bed frame remote .trom the crank handle 20, it will be in nearly upright position as shown in Fig. 2 and when moved to that end ot the frame adjacent to the crank handle 2() it will be at an acute angle to the bed frame. In this manner the book may be adjusted to the inclination desired bv turning the crank handle 20.

That I claim as new is l. A book holder including a base, a back slidingly fitted at one end on said base and adapted to be elevated at the other end, spaced upwardly bowed resilient props pivotally secured to the intermediate portions of said back and to said base, and a feed worm mounted on said base and conf nected to said back, said feed worm co-acting with said props in simultaneously mov ing the back longitudinally ot said base and into various angular inclinations to said base.

2. ln a book holder, a skeleton base, including spaced sides and depending legs, a reticulate back having a bottom bar itting between said sides and terminating in downwardly opening loops which straddle said sides, said reticulate back having spaced longitudinal elements engaging the bights of said loops and thence being bent outwardly therefrom, thence rearwardly into nearly parallelism with said back and forming book clamping fingers, an upwardly bowed prop loosely connected to said base and to the intermediate portion of said back, and a feed worm carried by said base and operatively conneeted to said bottom bar, said worm coperating with said prop in simultaneously moving the back lengthwise of and into various angular inclinations to said base.

3. A book holder including a base formed oi a single length of wire having a straight intermediate portion forming the rear end of said base, said straight portion being terminally directed downwardy then upwardly and forming U -shaped rear legs, the material thence being directed forwardly in parallelism and in the plane of said rear end and forming sides of said base, the terminals of said sides being bent abruptly downwardly and forming front legs, the material then being directed toward .the rear lines, then bent downwardly and then backwardly upon itself and forming forwardly opening support engaging clamp loops, a cross bar connecting the forward terminals of said sides and arranged in the plane of said rear end and forming the front end of said base, a back having an end mounted for sliding movement on said base and adapted to be elevated at the other end, an upwardly bowed prop pivotally secured to the intermediate portion of said back, and to said base, and a feed worm journaled on said cross bar and operatively connected to said back.

In testimony whereof, I aiiX my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

ELISHA W. FARRIS.

Vitnesses:

J. D. MANUEL, T. B. DALToN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents' each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

